Lakers Rumors: Second Lonzo Ball workout date set

Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: The team reportedly has gotten their wish as Lonzo Ball will have a second workout Friday.

Most Los Angeles Lakers rumors recently have revolved around the 2017 NBA Draft. There has been a lot of chatter about who the Lakers are going to select with the second overall pick.

The Lakers have a difficult decision ahead of them. Will they take the hometown product, UCLA star point guard Lonzo Ball? Or will they go in a different direction with Kansas small forward Josh Jackson or Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox?

Recently, it looked as if the Lakers were leaning away from Ball. There were more neutral and negative reports from Ball’s first workout with the team. Los Angeles was reportedly not happy with Ball’s conditioning, as he didn’t do enough to make himself a lock for the second pick. Ball spoke highly of the workout, but it was clear, in the Lakers eyes, he came up short.

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With Ball not doing well, it looked like Jackson had moved ahead of him on the Lakers’ draft board. Jackson was hosted for a second workout earlier this week. He did well in both, and there were whispers that he could be the selection at No. 2.

But, the Lakers were hopeful they would get one more look at Ball. Los Angeles wanted Ball to come in for a second workout, and it sounds like they will get their wish.

According to Romona Shelbourne of ESPN, Ball will be having a second workout with the Lakers on Friday. It will be at an undisclosed location, so the Lakers do not want any distractions at the workout this time around.

Lonzo Ball's 2nd workout with the Lakers will be at an undisclosed location on Fri. He wants them to see his work ethic& training methods
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 15, 2017

This will be an extremely important workout for Ball. While many draft pundits ultimately believe that he will be the Lakers selection, it wouldn’t hurt to have a good workout. At this time of year there are a lot of smokescreens, but where there is smoke there is usually fire.

Ball’s first workout came in front of many Lakers coaches and personnel, including Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and Luke Walton. That workout, reportedly, involved a lot of shooting as the Lakers wanted to go a good look at Ball’s unorthodox shooting form.

This time around, the Lakers want to get a good look at Ball’s work ethic. That is pretty open-ended, but the Lakers probably want to see how Ball responds to the negative reports, such as him being out of shape.

Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, has repeatedly said his son will only work out for the Lakers. His presence could be a detriment to Lonzo, but the Lakers have said on multiple occasions he will not impact their draft decision.

Lonzo had some fun at his father’s expense in the new Foot Locker commercial. It was a good move by him, as it showed that he can take the criticism and turn it into something positive such as comedy.

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With the off-court stuff quieting down recently, it is now time for Ball to make the most of his on-court work. If he does well in this second workout, he should move closer to being a lock for the second pick. The Lakers could use a lot of what he brings to the table as a playmaker at the point guard position.